In the vast territory of the Hacienda Kankirixche many important archaeological remains have been found, as wells as biological endemic fauna studied recently by the speleological group Ajau. The National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) and group Ajau in collaboration with Raymundo Concha, owner of the property, have ensured the preservation of these cultural elements unique in its kind.

The Eel Cave is located near to three pre-Hispanic bases which are surely interrelated, for this reason it was decided to investigate the cavity. Historically, the Mayas used caves and sinkholes, characteristic of the geography of the Yucatan Peninsula, as sacred or ceremonial places.

Inside the cave were found stone alignments considered man made, the bones and the large amount of pottery scattered throughout the cave suggest an important ceremonial site in the Acanceh region, where there are pre-Hispanic structures of considerable size.

The most significant discovery was a flute with the shaped of a seal, the archaeologist Raúl Manzanilla from Ajau Group commented why these findings are very relevant.

“First, It’s very rare to find a complete musical instrument in a cave. Second, it is rare to find a seal represented in a musical instrument, and third it is very rare to find a representation of this kind in the center of the state, far away from the coast. “

The type and characteristic of the ceramic find in the cave probably belongs to the late classic period of Mayan culture, explained Raul Manzanilla, but the INAH will be responsible of performing the appropriate tests to determine accurately the age of the piece.

In the biological aspect, the Ajau Group found four endangered endemic species, the blind shrimp, the aquatic cochineal, the blind eel (the name of the cave), and the white lady or blind fish. Manzanilla stressed that so far it has not been reported the presence of these four species together in a cenote or underground rivers. Last time when Manzanilla went down the cave with his team, they saw a new colony of blind fish, indicating that this is completely healthy natural environment for reproduction.

All these cultural and biological elements found in the Eel Cave makes the Hacienda Kankirixche a unique place of its kind. For this reason, the cave was closed and its location will not be disclosed in order to preserve this valuable ecosystem.